Disappearing plumbing-fixture



H. A. SIMPSON.

DISAPPEARING PLUMBING FIXTURE. APPLICATIOII FILED APR- II. I919.

1,367,896. Patented Feb. 8, 1-921.

H. A. SlMPSON. DISAPPEARING PLUMBlNG HXTURE.

APPUC A'HON FILED APR. H, 1919.

Patented Feb. 8, 1921.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2. ii

H. A. SIMPSON.

DISAPPEARING PLUMBING FiXTUfiEa APPLICATKGN FILED APR-1!, 1919.

1,367,896. Paa-wmed. Feb. 8, 1921.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

WWI? y EgimE fi y/fdziw asorr 131V M d \L H. A. SEMPSGN,

DISAPPEARING PLUMBINHFKXHJR I APPLICATION HLEDAPR. :2. was.

Patenwi Feb. 8, 1921. .21 5 .7%?

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

UNITED STATES HARRY A. SIMPSON, CICERO, ILLINOIS.

DISAPPEARING PLUMBING-FIXTURE.

Application filed April 11, 1919.

1 0 all whom it may concern Be it known that I, HARRY A. SIMPSON, acitizen of the United States, and a resident of the town of Cicero, inthe county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Disappearing PlumbingFixtures; and I do herebydeclare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description ofthe same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to thenumerals of reference marked thereon, which form a part of thisspecification.

My intention relates to disappearing plumbing fixtures and although notlimited to such use, is particularly adapted for use in connection withbath tubs.

One of the principal objects of my invention is to provide a simple formof plumbing fixture adapted to be turned on end for concealment in acloset or the like while not in use.

A further object of my invention is to provide means for raising andlowering the fixture into inoperative and operative positionsrespectively.

It is also an object of my invention to provide connections to supplyand drain pipes which will not. be interfered with by raising andlowering the fixture. My invention also has other important objects.which will appear in the following specification an dthe accompanyingdrawings, in which I have illustrated my inven tion in a preferred form.

On the drawings Figure 1 is a front view of a bath tub fixture embodyingmy invention.

Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a diagram of the electrical connections to operating motor.

Fig. 4 is a section on the line 44 of Fig. 5 is a section on the line5-5 of Fig. 2, with the bath tub removed.

Fig. 6 is a plan view of the under side of the bath tub.

Fig. 7 is a longitudinal vertical section through a part of the bottomof the bath tub and its support.

Fig. 8 is a central vertical section through the rear end of the bathtub and with the parts associated therewith.

Fig. 9 is a front elevation of a trip device for operating the bathflushing apparatus.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 8, 1921.

Serial No. 289,431.

adapted for concealment within a closet 2,

inserted in a recess in the wall 3. The bath tub is arranged to pivotabout a shaft 4, ad acent the lower front edge of the closet so that itmay be moved to a vertical position within the closet and thereby beconcealed from view. The position of the bath in its inoperative orconcealed position is shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2.

The bath tub is mounted on a support 5, which in turn is secured to thedoor 6 of the closet. Preferably the bath ,tub is constructed so that itmay be detached from the support 5, if desired, and for this purpose thesupport 5, is provided with apertures 7 (Fig. 5) through which may bepassed lugs 8, on the under side of the bath tub for engagement with theunder side of the support 5, as shown more particularly in Fig. 7. Asthese lugs point toward the shaft 4, about which the bath tub swings.the weight of the bath will hold it in engagement with the support 5,under all normal conditions.

The support 5 is provided with lugs 9, rigidly secured to the shaft 4,so. that by. turning the latter, the bath may be raised or lowered asdesired. This shaft 4, is journaled in brackets or hearing blocks 10,arranged on either side of the lugs 9. Nonrotatablv secured. totheprojecting ends of the shaft 4, are segmental gears 11, in mesh withpinions 12. The gears 11, are preferably connected to the sides of thesupport 5, by rods 87, to relieve the. strain on the connections betweenthe gears 11 and the lugs 9, with the shaft 4. The pinions 12 aremounted on a shaft 13,. which is driven from an electric motor 14, bymeans of the worm l5, worm wheel 16, shaft 17, worm 18 and worm wheel19, on the shaft 13, as shown more particularly in Fig. 8. By means of"the gearing just described, the motor 14, is adapted to raise or lowerthe bath tub.

One advantage of employing worm reduction is to make the gearingirreversible; in other words, to prevent the weight of' the bath tubfrom rotating the motor when no current is flowing through the latter,while still allowing the motor to move 23, therefrom, to .the motor let,while the other wire 21, is connected to a double pole switch 2%,operated bya pair of push-buttons 25, arranged inthe side frame of'th'e'closet asshown in Fig. 1; This switch 24:, is adapted to connect thelead 21., to the leads 26 and 27, alternatively, and thereby cause'raisedor lowered position.

i in the closet.

the motor to rotate first in one direction and then in the othervdirection to raise and lower. the bath tub as required. 7

It is desirable that means be provided for automatically'closing themotor circuit after the bath tub has been moved into either For thispurpose, switches 28 and 29, are provided, adapted to be operated by theprojecting lower edge 30 of the door 6, on which. the bath tub isarranged. 1 The arrangement of these switches is shown more particularlyin Figs. 12,14 and 15. The switch 28 is provided with an operating armor lever 31, having a lateralextension 32 at its outer end, adapted toengage the upper surface of the part 30, as shown in Fig. 12-. This arm31 is normally held (by a spring, not

shown) inthedepressed position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 14. Inthat'position,

the switch is closed, but when thearm is raised lay-upward movement ofthe part 30, the switch is opened. The timeof opening is adjusted sothat the doorand the bath thereon will have been lowered to the floor bythe time the "motor ceases to operate.

Similarly, the switch 29, is also provided with a spring held arm 33,which inthe position shown in full lines in Fig. 14:, holds the circuitclosed... Vhen, however, this arm is moved into the position shown indotted lines in Fig. 14;, by forward movement of the part 30, thecircuit -is broken. lVhen this occurs. the doorv is in its verticalposition and the tub is whollyv concealed with- The bath tub is providedwith the usual discharge aperture 35, communicating With 7 arrangedoutside the casing;

through as the motor raises the bath tub into its upright verticalposition.

A pair of faucets a0 and 4:1, are provided for hot and cold water,respectively, which are supplied thereto by pipes 42 and 1 For conveyingthe water from the faucets into the bath a pair of pipes as and t5 areprovided having funnel-shaped upturned ends 46 and 47, arranged toregister with the faucets when the bath tub is in its lowered position.As the bath tub is moved upwardly,the pipes move away from "the faucetso that there is no interference therewith.

The drain pan and the parts connected thereto are preferably inclosed bya casing 50, havin a lid 51, hinged thereto at 52. This lid 51 isprovided with an aperture 53, through which the upper parts of thefaucets project when the bath tub has been lowered. The front edge 54 ofthe lid 51 is arranged to rest on the edge of the bath tub so that asthe latter is moved up the lid is also pushed back out of the way.Preferably to insure that this list will move downwardly-with the bathtub, an over-hanging to keep water away from the operating" gearing orthe motor 14, all of'which are Further the lid 51 is preferably extendedlatera as to cover the segmental gears 11. r

In ,order to keep water off the top of the lid as far as possible thatpart of the lid around the faucets is depressed as shown moreparticularly in Fig. 8. This depression also enables the hands to beinserted under the swing doors 57, 58 to operate the faucets. On'eachside of'the depressed part 80 soap boxes are formed by forming apertures81 in the outer part of the lid and securing angular members 82 to theunderside of the lid opposite these apertures. The edges of theapertures 81 preferably project ly 'so" beyond the edges of the members82 so as to form soap. retaining ledges in both raised and loweredpositions of the lid. 1 'VVhen the bath tub is loweredthe flush pan andinlet, discharge and overflow pipes; are thus con ceal from; v ew by thecasiug' 50, and its lid 51. At the same time the upper part of thecloset is closed by a pair of folding doors 57 and 58, provided withsprings which normally hold them in the position shown in Fig. 1 whileallowing them to move rearwardly to lie adjacent the side walls of thecloset when the door 6, and the bath tub are swung upwardly into thecloset.

It is frequently desirable to flush out the bath tub after use. This maybe conven iently accomplished by providing a tank 59, in the upper partof the tub having a dis charge pipe 60 and spraying nozzle 61 adapted toproject a spray of water from the tank over the inside or the bath tubwhen the latter is in its elevated or concealed position. Further, it isadvisable to furnish means whereby this flushing may be carried outautomatically. For this purpose the trip device shown in Figs. 2, 9 and10, is provided so that the tank 59 is automatically dischargedat-alltimes when the bath tub is moved back into its concealed position.This mechanism comprises a rocker or lever 62, pivotally mounted at 63to a bracket 64, secured to the inner wall of the closet. The upper endof this rocker is connected by a cord or chain 65, passing around apulley 66, to an arm 67, adapted to operate the discharge valve of thetank 59. \Vhenever the arm 67 is pulled down by movement of the rocker62, the tank 59 is discharged. The rocker 62 is normally held in theposition shown in Fig. 10, by means of a spring 68. A plunger 69 havingan outwardly projecting end of engagement with the outer or upper endor" the door 6, is arranged so that it is forced inward by the door asthe latter is moved into vertical position. This plunger is normallyheld in extended position by a spring 70. At the other end of thisplunge 69 is a late 71, carrying thereon a latch 72, pivotal y mountedat 7 3 and provided with a downwardly projecting arm 74 adapted toengage a pin 75, on the plate 71. A spring 76 normally holds theprojection 7 1 in engagement with the pin 7 5. in which position thelatch is in contact with the lower eno of the rocker 62. As the plunger69 and with it the plate 71 and latch 72 are moved rearwardly by thedoor 6 the latch swings the rocker 62, to discharge the tank 59. Beforethe end of the path of travel of the plunger has been reached the rockerhas moved into such a position that it can slip past the latch to itsoriginal position under the action of the spring 68. lVhen the tub islow ered the spring returns the plunger 69 and latch 72 to theiroriginal positions, the latch turning about its pivot 73 as it passestie end of the rocker 62 and then under the action of the spring 76moves into engagement with the rocker 62 as shown in Fig. 10 ready forthe next operation. The tank 59 is filled as required by any suitablemeans such as a float valve of common construction.

The operation is as follows:

The fixture is normally in the position shown in dotted lines in Fig, 1.To bring the tub into operative position the push button 25 is pressedto set the motor in operation to lower the bath through the train ofgearing 15, 16, 18, 19, 12 and 11. The motor then continues to operateuntil the circuit therethrough is broken by the end of the door 30operating the switch 28. lVhen that has occurred the tub has beenlowered to the floor ready for use. I

In its downward movement the tub draws down the lid 51 of the casing 50through the sliding engagement of the edges 55 of the lid with thelateral edges of the tub. \Vhen the tub has been lowered the springdoors 57 and 58 are free to swing outward to close the space in thecloset above the casing 50 andlid 51 so that the parts assume theposition shown in Fig. 1. The tub is then ready for use in the normalway.

After use the tub is preferably drained through the pipe although it maybe emptied through the overflow pipe 39 while being raised by the motor.The up push button is then pressed and the motor brought into operationto raise the tub. The motor is then stopped. by the operation of theswitch 29 by the lower edge 30 of the door 6 as soon as the latter hasreached its vertical position simultaneously with the operation of theswitch 29 by the lower edge of the door the upper edge of the dooracting on the plunger 69 operates the valve of the flushing tank 59 andcauses a spray of water from the nozzle 51" to be projected against theupper part of the tub. This water runs down and cleanses the inside ofthe tub and finally escapes through the drain pipe 38. Toward the end ofthe stroke of the plunger 69 the rocker 62 slips past the catch 72carried by the plunger so as to close the valve of the flushing tank andbring the rocker into tripping position again. The tank 59 is thenfilled again by a float or other valve ready for the next operation.

I am aware that various details of construction may be varied through awide range without departing from the principles of my invention and Itherefore do not purpose limiting the patent granted -further thannecessitated by the prior art.

I claim as my invention:

1. A device of the class described com- I 2. A 'device of-the classdescribed comprising a closet, a tub pivotally supported in the bottomof the closet, and adapted to be swung outwardly therefrom, and 'a' pairof swing doors adapted to close the upper part of the closet when thetub is lowered into operative position.

3. A device of the class described comprising a closet, a tub pivotallysupported in the closet and adapted to be swung outwardly therefrom,means adapted to close the upper part of the closet when the tub islowered into operative position, and a water impervious casing adaptedto'inclose the inner end of the tub when it is lowered.

4. Adevice of the class described comprising a tub, a pivotal supporttherefor, a catch'pan at the rear of. the tub, a casing around the catchpan having side walls spaced a greater distance than the widthof thetub, a lidfor the casing pivoted to the rear wall thereof adapted torest on the side walls when the tub is in its lower position and moveupwardly with the tub as the latter is raised.

5. A device of the class described comprising a closet, a tub, a doorfor the closet hinged adjacent the lower margin of the closet, a catchpan in the floor of the closet, V

a casing around the catch pan having side walls spaced a greaterdlstance than the lwidth of the tub, toothed segments secured to thedoor adapted'to extend rearwardly' on either side of said side walls, ashaft at the rear of said casing, gear wheels on said shaft adapted tomesh with said segments and means for rotating said shaft in eitherdirection to raise and lower the door and tub. r

6. A device of the class described com- 1,367,e9e v prising a closet, atub, a door for the closet hinged adjacent the lower margin of thecloset, means for securing the tub to the door, a catch pan in the floorof the closet, a motor and gearing in the closet for raising andlowering the door and tub, a shield eX- tending upwardly from the catchpan to prevent water reaching the motor and gearing.

7. A device of the class described comprising a closet, a tub, a doorfor the closet hingedadjacent the lower margin of the closet, means forsecuring the tub to the door, a catch pan in the floor of the closet, acasing extending upwardly from the catch pan including side and rearwalls and a lid pivoted to the latter wall, andv inlet discharge andoverflow pipes for the'tub located withinsaid casing. V

8. A deviceof the class described comprising a tub, a pivotal supporttherefor, a pivotally mounted shield having a clownwardly directed fronted e adapted to rest on the'edge of the tub in its lowered position andto move upward with the tub as the latter is raised, an aperture in thecurved edge of the shield and an angular member secured to the undersideof the shield to form a soap box, the upper and lower edges of theaperture projecting beyond the walls of the member to provide soapretaining ledges in both raised and lowered positions of the shield.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my. name in the presenceof two subscribing witnesses.

. HARRY A. SIMPSON.

\Vitnesses r EARL M. HARDINE, CHARLES W. HILLs, J r.

